Rock-Eval pyrolysis is widely used as a screening technique, allowing for the characterization of source rocks in terms of potential, maturity, quality, and hydrocarbon content.
In most cases, the method used with this equipment is the Basic/Bulk-Rock method. Originally developed to characterize source rocks in conventional reservoirs, its application in unconventional reservoirs (hybrids or shale plays) to evaluate the content of free hydrocarbons (HC) presents certain limitations and disadvantages.
That is why IFP Energies Nouvelles developed a new method (Rock Eval Shale Play Method) for better estimation of free and/or absorbed hydrocarbons in unconventional reservoirs.
In this work, we present a comparative study applied to lacustrine shale in the Golfo San Jorge Basin, Argentina, to assess how is the recovery of free and adsorbed hydrocarbons.
The Rock Eval Shale Play method proved to be the most appropriate and the results obtained could be confirmed with high quality oil recovered in the well test.
The characteristics of the recovered petroleum, combined with the results obtained in this study, lead to a favorable prospective outlook for the Pozo Anticlinal Aguada Bandera Formation as a potential Neocomian shale to continue evaluating.
Rock-Eval pyrolysis is one of the analytical techniques used in petroleum geochemistry as a screening tool used to perform a quick evaluation of the source rock. This method is widely used by geochemists to obtain information regarding organic richness, source rock quality and thermal maturity.
Basically Rock-Eval pyrolysis (developed and patented by IFP) is an open-system programmed pyrolysis method that subjects rock samples to a controlled heating and pyrolytic decomposition process, simulating the geological conditions that buried sediments experience over geologic time. The primary goal of this technique is to determine the organic richness, quality, and maturation state of sedimentary rocks, allowing geologists to assess their potential as source rocks for hydrocarbon (HC) generation.
The method's fundamental principle lies in the pyrolysis of organic matter within rock samples, releasing various hydrocarbon compounds as well as CO2 and CO. By measuring the products of this thermal decomposition and cracking, geochemists can evaluate the potential of the source rock as an initial screening step.
